Thesis co-supervised by Dr. K. Ferji (LCPM) & Prof. J-L. Six (LCPM)
"I am currently pursuing my PhD on the development of amphiphilic copolymer nano-objects using polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA). While PISA in aqueous dispersion has proven powerful for producing advanced morphologies such as vesicles or worm-like micelles, PISA in emulsion often yields only kinetically trapped structures like spheres or core–shell nanoparticles.
"I am currently pursuing my PhD on the development of amphiphilic copolymer nano-objects using polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA). While PISA in aqueous dispersion has proven powerful for producing advanced morphologies such as vesicles or worm-like micelles, PISA in emulsion often yields only kinetically trapped structures like spheres or core–shell nanoparticles.
My project aims to overcome these limitations by systematically studying the impact of experimental conditions in emulsion PISA. By first establishing model systems, I seek to open pathways to access advanced morphologies such as vesicles, and then extend these strategies to polymers responsive to external stimuli (pH, light, temperature). The work combines polymer synthesis with a broad set of advanced characterization techniques (light and neutron scattering, cryo-TEM, AFM), both in-house and through collaborations."
Erika Paola Fonseca Parra, Jihad Oumerri, A. Arteni, J. Six, S. Armes, K. Ferji*
Macromolecules, vol. 58(1), 2025, pp. 61–73
Shedding Light on Surfactant-Free Emulsion Polymerization
Erika Paola Fonseca Parra, J. Six, K. Ferji*
Polymer Chemistry, vol. 16, 2025, pp. 994-1002
Erika Paola Fonseca Parra, B. Chouchene, J. Six, R. Schneider, K. Ferji*
ACS Applied Polymer Materials, vol. 3(7), 2021, pp. 3649–3658